Saturday Playwalking Pics....and dat's all...weigh-in tomorrow...

I figure it will be a 3 lbs off weigh-in barring some funky body stuff....(hear that body, behave).

I spent several days without my cardio to not-sweat and let rash heal; so I was at my cabin fever limit today. I said to hubby, "Grab the mini soccer ball and let's go do it!"

Had a great time. Did some sprint intervals. Did some bouncing, tossing, backwards walking, much laughter and giggling and smiling and ....heavy breathing. Ah, I feel back to normal. How I missed thee, my playwalks!
Couple pics:

Victory over Sloth!

Happy, Windblown, Sweaty Playwalkers!

Very happy with progress in the last two weeks. This wasn't a fasting workout (we ate 90 mins before walking). But still, it was beneficial and energizing and heart-pumping. It's all good.

Be well and make your weekend restful, recreative, and transformational!

Am Still Melting with Fasting Workouts, Walnut Butter with Cinnamon rocks, some Paleo Friendly Fast Food....on day 81 of Phase 5

Tanita-san: 203.4

Yep. Dat's right! Even with two days of some extra calories, even with eating roast pork, steak, shredded beef, guacamole, and yesterday, some sour cream with that shredded beef. And gluten free cookies. Today, no cookies, no beef. But it was great to have a change and make sure I get a kick of dietary iron and carnitine.

I also had walnut butter with my apple snack. I mixed in some true cinnamon (thanks, Anne H, for the tip to it) and a sprinkle of splenda to get a paste that made the apple with it combined taste like apple-walnut torte. So nice. If you haven't ever tried any nut butter other than peanut, try walnut,almond and macadamia. Better for ya than peanut.

(Note on cookies: I hadn't had a treat in a while and got these from Netrition thinking, eh, they will likely suck. Wrong. They were amazing. Had three with my coconut milk for dessert last night. They are named Island Lime, but I call em Island Coconut. I don't taste any lime. Which is fine. I love coconut flavor.) They're not Paleo. They are pricey (so incentive to not eat them often or a lot). For the occasional about 120 calorie low-carb treat, works. Lotsa fiber is a plus.

Honestly, I thought weigh-in would suck given the sodium blast in the guacamole and beef (it was from CHIPOTLE, so you know, fast food salt!). And for those doing Primal/Paleo/Primarian--one of those salads from CHIPOTLE with the greens, salsa, guacamole, fajita veggies, and protein (chicken, beef, or pok) is plan-friendly. Just skip the wraps, beans, rice, corn. If you're Primarian, you can have some of the shredded cheese as an option. I got two salad bowls. One with beef and one with chicken. Had one for lunch and one for dinner. No cooking day!

But I can see my body changing when I examine it naked. I can see the fruit of my core-work starting to show as the belly fat burns-burns-burns away. I look "normal" to my eyes when I spy myself in a shop window reflection. I don't see the Fat Princess (though I'm still obese). I see...kinda normal woman looking back.

I'm psyched!

But....

I haven't been able to do my walks in the last couple days (rash is healing and must reduce sweating and exposure to heat/sun/humidity), so I made sure to go fasting into my Pilates session yesterday. She had to put refrigerated wet towels on me periodically during the workout, but we got through it and I did fine. Flexibility has increased with less fat in the way. Strength is going up. I feel good!

But I miss walking. I miss it bad. This is a mindset change. I used to--for years!--have the hardest time motivating myself to do any exercise, and especially anything remotely cardio. Now, I want my walk. Damn rash!

For those who gave suggestions, thank you! (And for the compliments, cheers, encouragement.) I think mall walking seems the most Princess-Friendly, as long as I can reverse my sleep schedule to the morning walking time pre-shoppers. I hate dodging shoppers and dealing with horrible parking traffic at the local mall. It's a popular one.

So close to Onederland. Here I cometh!

Well, please remember the tornado victims today in prayer and donations. Let's take care of our own... and let's pray that storms will be calm this summer in all regions. I know in Miami, hurricanes are a big fear of mine. In other area, tornadoes. In others, fires. In others, mudslides. And so on....let's pray for benevolent weather....

Have fun this weekend. Go listen to festival music. Go to a park--and, heh, we have a retro hippie festival near us this weekend, but hubby has to work on book. I might yank him away for an hour or two and take a parasol.

Be well...

Another pound goes adios despite 200 extra calories and pondering whether to walk or not given the Return of the Rash...on day 79 of Phase 5

Tanita-san: 205.0

ONE full pound down from yesterday.

Okay, afater the combo of Easter Sunday sodium-blast and the Tuesday starch experiment, the weight loss momentum seems to be back on.  1.2 labs in the last couple days.

I had just under 1400 calories yesterday (yep, 200 more than usual, 200 more than challenge level). It didn't mess with the scale, thank goodness. I did think I lost when I woke up, as the mirror said my belly was a scosh flatter. The scale just validated what my eyes saw.

Rash is bad. Hubby went and got me a refill of the steroid cream before he headed to work. I had said he didn't have to, but he was worried about the hot pink puffiness and pebblyness of my arms, from shoulders down to index finger. ITCHY!!!!!!!! The driving arm (ie, more sun exposure) is worse. I can't use sunscreens (allergic to all the ones I tried, even the uber-pricey ones). So,well, we'll see. I don't wanna aggravate it right now. I don't wanna stop my walking. Argh.

The general recommendation is to NOT be out in the humidity and heat to avoid sweating. To keep the areas in loose clothing or open to air. I do that already. I am in a/c all day at home. There really is no indoor walking places in Florida (why, when anyone can walk outside). It's frustrating. If I walk, I can complicate it and end up requiring antibiotics. If I don't walk, I feel...less well and slow my weight loss.

Gosh, I hate hot weather!

Anyway, I hate treadmills and I hate conventional gyms, but that seems to be my only option as we head into the hell of summer. I already walk when the sun is just about set (nearly dark) to minimize heat/sun exposure....we'll see.

A solution will be found. :)

Anyone else out there prone to bad heat rashes?

Be well today, folks...

Ground Regained, the starch experiment at lunch (Insulin Resistant folks, take note), and a cool new "Paleo Diet" book is out... on day Day 78 of Phase 5

Tanita-san said: 206.0
Doc's scale said: 208.0 (and I had clothes, shoes, jewelry on).

So, my scale seems pretty darn accurate. That's the Easter bloat GONE and .2 lbs down from official weigh-in. Now, to make better progress! Only 6.2 pounds off to be in ONEDERLAND! Only 20 pounds to be NOT OBESE!

~~~
Okay, for the IR among you, here is me being a guinea pig again:

I did an experiment, a perhaps foolish one, when I went out to eat with sis today after my MD appt. We headed to a Mexican joint. We ordered veggie fajitas and mixed chicken/steak fajitas, so we could share. This allowed me to have my usual protein plus veggies. I also ordered unsweetened tea, water, some no-sugar espresso to finish up (no dessert, natch).  Didn't use the sour cream. Had the dollop of guacamole for my healthy fat (and cause it tastes num). Had the pico de gallo, again, cause it's num. They don't serve cheese with theirs like I've seen some restaurants do.

But today, I had some beans. I had about 1/3 of a cup. Not a lot. No other starch. (I asked the waiter to not bother bringing tortillas --neither sister or I eat them--and I had no chips--sis has some, and the rest are bagged for hubby. I ignored the rice that came as a side.)

Well, today is the FIRST afternoon in quite a while that I got the sleepy-slumps. I don't believe this is at all a coincidence.

Normally, lately, since ditching starches, I am revved up and energized ALL DAY from the get-go. I have no slumps. I am sometimes SUPER-CRAZY -TOO-DARN-MUCH energized. I even had one person ask me recently, a tad jokingly, a tad not, if I was on something.

NO.  I'm OFF something.

Seriously, I don't do drugs unless they're Rx for a condition. I've NEVER EVER EVER done any illegal drug, not even in my teen years. I was a goody-two shoes like you would not believe in High School. I mean, when the vice-principal reprimanded me, it was for reading my Bible at lunch break. Yeah, I got harassed for that. Snarf.

Needed to clarify it wasn't drugs, too much caffeine, or too much thyroid meds. (They've been checked often and my levels are within limits and excellent.)

It's the Lacto-Paleo/Primarian way of eating I've had. That's what makes me seem hyper at times. :)

When I eat starch-free, I have:

No yawning.
No loss of pizzazz.
No desperation in hour-long workouts.
No lethargy in front of the TV prime time.

I have:

So much energy I sometimes wanna workout again after my trainer-led hour of Pilates is done. Or I want to go out walk again after I get back from 40 mins. And a healthy sex drive. And low appetite. And no cravings (beyond mild normal desires). And no binge-ing. And no dips in good mood (which is a blessing).

Even at Easter, when the family members (other than the children and my hubby, who had no starches, either) were slumped on the sofa or dozing off or yawning or calling for Cuban coffee to perk up, I went to play Frisbee with my vim in zoom-drive.

But today...I had a starch. Not even a full 1/2 cup serving. And blam: reaction.  I started getting the dozies as I checked email about 15 mins ago. That's about 2.5-to- 3 hours hours after eating.

Dat ain't no happenstance. I believe the beans caused my insulin to spike, and now I am paying the price for it with the yawns-and-dozies.

I hope this doesn't jam up my newly restored momentum. But I cannot guarantee. One thing I've read over and over is that not only are starch-sensitive/insulin-resistant folks messed up about carbs to begin with, when carbs are restricted, there is an increased-sensitivity to them, so ingesting them can cause even GREATER spikes in insulin than previously.

Well, nothing to do now but back to avoiding the stuff my pancreas does not like. Post-meal slumps suck. I want my ENERGY BACK. NOW!!! Give it back to me, you stupid pinto beans!

Yeah...I had forgotten how much the slumps suck. My brain feels slow and my whole face feels like it wants to shut down for a nap.

Okay, will drink more water, move around a bit, splash my face, and refuse to go down without a fight. If I have to walk with this sleepiness, I'm not gonna have fun. And I like having fun-walks.

Speaking of FUN: I bought the new book EVERYDAY PALEO on Saturday at Barnes & Noble, and Amazon began shipping it out yesterday. So, if you've heard the buzz and want to check it out, I liked it a lot and wrote a review. You can find my review HERE--I'm "Mir"--and if you can click "helpful" , I'd appreciate it. I like to keep my ranking under 200. (I sure did my best to be informative and helpful, which you'll see when you check it out.)

If you're a mommy and like more "clean" food and lower carb type eating, this is for you. If you have kids and insulin resistance, this is for you. Lots of pics. Nice recipes. No nonsense workout info. More pics. Shopping lists. Well, read the review I posted at amazon and I go over what the book covers.

Dat's all for today (prolly). I'm gonna go try to unslump.

Throwing blessings over all of you. See them sparkle in the spring air....Catch one!

Salt/Low-sleep uptick, which will be gone, soon, no worries. And some pics of pre-and-post Easter feast and a quickie fix for the too big t-shirt so you can use it a bit more, fasting workouts continue......on Day 77 of Phase 5

What a lovely Easter. The day was sunny, warm, and pretty. I wore a dress for the first time in...I honestly can't remember.

Today, Tanita-san shows a 1 lb uptick to 207.2. I know what this is. This is sodium and this is lack of sleep.

1 Sodium: I cook with no added salt EXCEPT on meats and chicken (I hate animal flesh sans salt. Ugh. Some, not a lot.) But Easter's brunch, we had ham and roast Cuban-style fresh ham (pernil, we call it). Both have salt. I also had an ounce of Manchego cheese. My contribution to the feast was a large organic vegetable tray and a large organic fruit tray. The veggies were numerous and I had plenty. The fruit was delicious, and it served as my dessert.

I had no fried stuff (alcapurrias).
I had no bread or crackers.
I had no corn pudding.
I had no sugary crap--candy or flan. (And I adore flan.)

I had 1 tablespoon of a no-sugar, low-carb custard my sister made for me. Very light and subtle. No sugar rush. I have the leftovers home to enjoy after supper for a couple days.

And two days of not-enough sleep. That always does things to scale/progress. But, I am back on undistracted track. I have an MD appt tomorrow, which does mess with my sleep schedule, but I'll try to get as much as possible. I also had my Pilates session today, and it was great. New stuff. Progress. Trainer happy with the less fat in ONE WEEK noticeable in my abdominals.

But...back to Easter Sunday:

After I ate and chatted and digested a bit, I changed into workout wear and played ball and Frisbee. :D  Not calling it exercise. Calling it PLAYING. And it was fun. Sweaty fun that made my heat rash worse. I slathered cream on it and kept going.

Here are pics of me before the feast and after the outfit change:

Colorful for Easter

Sporty for Easter

Activity is now my normal mindset. I try to add it to every day in some way. Even holidays. Plus, let's face it. If you have kids in your family, kids like to play/run/throw/jump/climb. If you bring out a ball/frisbee/net/shuttlecock/puck/stick/bat, they're gonna wanna do something with it WITH YOU. So, have lots of gear handy and have fun with them.


Okay, time to walk. Sun is low and my poor rashy arms get a break from strong direct sunlight. If like me you are getting smaller and not able to wear a lot of your stuff (another big bag of clothes got donated yesterday and I have oodles to go), here is a quickie solution for t-shirts:

1 knot, 1 too-big tee wearable

Yep. Just a knot to the side and it's kinda fun wearing it this way. Makes your butt look pretty decent, cause it's longer in the back, hugs it a bit, and makes it not a slouchy, frumpy mess.

And to close, this week continues the fasting workout experiment. I went in to Pilates on a coffee-n-water only tummy. No loss of energy. Last week, I took a pic of me drinking some iced black tea (made fresh, made dark for caffeine) before my fasting-walk:

Drinking tea pre fasting-workout

I have leftovers in the fridge for supper (shredded BBQ chicken with salad fixings and fruit) and a bunch of new workout clothes (DANSKIN NOW and Just My Size stuff from Walmart. Cheap and useful for when size changes rapidly. :) AND I got COLORS. Woooo.)

Yes, colors. I wore radical pink to Pilates with light grey shorts (not black on black).

Enjoy your evening, have a sound meal, if you didn't move today, take a nice walk or do something in front of the TV. Rest well....be well...

And off I go to celebrate a miracle....on day 75 of Phase 5 (a rare no-rambling post, Lord be Praised!)

My reported official loss for this week's challenge (reported today, a day early, cause tomorrow is WAY WAY BUSY) is 4 pounds.

Biggest weekly lbs-off I've had since October. Hooray and whoohoo.

I won't be rambling on today, as I have a zillion things to do and not a whole lotta hours in which to do it. :)

I'm gonna celebrate that death doesn't get the last laugh and sin doesn't win. That's what we Christians are all jolly and sing-y about tomorrow. Victory over death, overcoming evil, defeating sin...sacrifice and resurrection. New life. Hope. Glory. All those great things.

All of you (and me) fighting the fat and sloth and gluttony and bad habits...we're fighting death to get to life. It's worth it. Always.

I pray a blessing over all who read this. May your weekend be holy, full of love, full of joy, and may the food at your feasts be wholesome and life-strengthening.

Let's all be made whole and new....

Later, my lovelies. I will see ya'll on Monday....

It's a string of DIAMOND DAYS with another drop--4 lbs down this week so far-- and minimal appetite (and what that MIGHT mean), nice kudos post from Allan Da Man, and stocking up on coconut oil on Day 74 of Phase 5, which is a good GOOD FRIDAY...

Tanita-san= 206.2

I'm still stunned the drops haven't chilled. But no, I'm burning fat like mad, looks like. That's .8 lbs less than  yesterday, and that's 4 lbs down from Sunday. (Excuse me while I laugh hysterically at the improbability.) There is a possibility (no jinx, no jinx) that I might lose 5 lbs by the weigh-in.

With the human body who knows...but could me...might could happen.

I'll plotz! If I do, plotzplotzplotz all over Easter!

Well, actually, I'm gonna send in my weigh-in tomorrow, cause Sunday is gonna be mighty hectic, with the holy day, family time, etc. So, improbable that it'll be 5 lbs. But it will still be my highest recorded loss to date in 5 challenges at today's number of FOUR-count em 4--lbs. :D

These have been Diamond Days. I'm calling them that after listening to a cd (and the title song) by one of my very fave groups. They're a Christian husband and wife duo who make beautiful music. I own all their cds except the most recent (got lazy and haven't ordered yet). I own some of them in backup (ie, bought two copies). Yes. I love OUT OF THE GREY. As their song "Diamond Days" was playing, I thought, "Yeah, I feel like these have been Diamond Dieter Days. It's a breeze not to overeat. A breeze to feel hopeful. A breeze to shop for healthful foods. It's easy to be consistent with exercise."  DIAMOND DAYS...

Some of the lyrics:

Some days are cold and hard, a stone around your neck
Others steal the life from you and leave you feeling flat
Just when you think you've taken your last breath
Your Father blows a kiss at you and lifts you up again

And these diamond days arrive just in time
An oasis in the desert to refresh the mind
Oh these diamond days they shine like the stars
So perfectly placed when the journey is hard

Yup. Shiny, lovely, precious days.

Not hungry. Food is now nutrition and fuel these days. Not comfort. Not a pal. Not hedonistic pleasure (though dinner was so delicious I kept going mmmmm...mmmmm...num...mmmm.).

But it took some awful weeks and hard, hard weeks after committing (really truly wholly committing) to losing weight. At first, no diamonds. It takes hard work and perseverance to get to the diamonds. At least, in my case.

I love the fast loss, gotta admit. I've never seen this in all the challenges so far. It's like..wow..magical.

My theory is that I may be becoming more sensitive to insulin. I may also be becoming more sensitive to leptin. I've found myself NOT scarfing up every bit of food I serve myself. An omelette will be 2/3 eaten one day. Supper 3/4 eaten another. I fill up faster. That means, I'm sure, the leptin is being sensed better. So, if this continues, the combo of better insulin sensitivity (meaning more energy, less fat storage) with better leptin sensitivity (meaning full faster, no urge to overeat) should help me stay on course and get to goal. I just gotta keep eating right and moving right to keep the hormones improving as needed.
~~

I got some nice props over on Allan's blog. Made me smile. I hadn't kept track of how much I'd lost on DDDY Challenges (in toto). I'd been looking at the whole-numbers-down from my ticker, or the weekly loss (for weigh-in) or the day's loss (or gain) for my posts. So, it's VERY cool to see him put up the figures. He posted 45 lbs lost since late October's initial DDDY start point. As of today, nearly 46. I am VERY happy 'bout dat. Thanks, A.
~~

So, there was some talk about a coconut oil shortage. This oil is popular with the Paleo/Primal crowd, as well as with folks with thyroid issues and low-carbers in general. I use it, too. I decided to just go ahead and freak a bit (panic may well be unwarranted over possible super-rise in prices and shortages). Hence, I just ordered 3 jars from Netrition of Nutiva organic extra virgin. I also have a jar at home just got this week of Barlean's organic extra virgin coconut oil. That should do me for a year+.  heh.

Okay, time to go and do my fasting workout, then breakfast, then some planning and maybe shopping for the Easter feast--about which I am not fearful at all. I will be taking stuff I CAN eat, and I will not be scarfing down the Easter candies. I won't even be making a candy basket for the kids. I'm putting my philosophy in action. I will be making gift bags with non-junk treats and 1, just 1, small treat. No abundance of candies and chocolates and marshmallow bunnies. Nope. Sugar is crap, and I love those kids. One treat...is well enough for any child or adult.

And as I think about Good Friday, I am grateful today for all the sacrifices made on my behalf by my parents and by my spouse and by my family and by my God, above all. We Christians believe that The Christ died today to make atonement for our sins. I know that I am alive and have good things in my life because people gave birth to me, nurtured me, loved me, nursed me, supported me. I am trying to take better care of myself, and I believe that is a way of saying thank you for all those many generosities and sacrifices that have been made for me. I appreciate the life I have been given. I want more of it. I want to be a good steward of this body, mind and spirit.

Thank you to all those who have loved and still love me and have given up and still give up of your time and effort and money and kind words and prayers for me.

Whether it's Passover or Easter Week that we celebrate, let's remember sacrifices made and victories won over enemies, human and spiritual. We acknowledge that freedom, liberation, is a beautiful and even holy thing.  And death can lead to life.

Thanks be to God for his immeasurable gift.

Blessings on you all as the holidays--Jewish and Christian--progress...

ANOTHER drop! And my organic, grassfed, Idaho-ranch beef arrived...Feeling New Life After Emerging From the Tomb of Morbid Obesity...plus a preview of Phase 6 is a-coming from Allan...And ready to wear DRESSES...on Day 73 of Phase 5

Tanita-san: 207.0

Three times on and off. Same reading each time. Nice round number. 3.2 lbs off in the 4 days since Sunday. Woo!

Talked to doc on the phone yesterday. She said to halve my dose of BP meds until I see her Tuesday. So, began the half of the half. My low dose Ramipril had been halved in January, now I'm on a quarter of my original dose I've taken for years. I can see no BP meds in my very near future. :D

I don't have any other "can get off them if I lose weight" meds left. I ditched statins years ago due to myopathy and liver issues with Pravachol. And I was happy to be off it. My brain fog cleared up. My chronic muscle pain cleared up (my husband couldn't even touch my arm or leg with a finger push without me crying out in pain.) It was like being taken out of quicksand. Amazing. Those statins made me feel like crap.

All the meds I have left are meds related to medical issues I've had since infancy--asthma and allergies--and ones I need for my hypothyroidism (I don't take the latter, I die; I don't take the former, and I will wanna die cause I'd be unable to function.)

I hope that with my continuing health journey nurturing better general health and fitness that I may be able to need LESS of the allergy/asthma meds, but who knows? I keep the hope.

My organic, grassfed beef from Idaho arrived yesterday from Alderspring ranch. I have never liked grassfed beef. BUT...this ranch's meat was doing great in taste tests online (you can google to see a couple of the taste tests, one in SLATE). And hubby loves beef. So, worth a shot. Grassfed means lean beef, higher Omega 3 beef, more CLA meat (and CLA has been tied with improving weight loss), and just better nutrition. If I like the taste, then I'll invest in eating less beef, but better quality by ordering it from humane, organic, responsible providers. It costs more, but I'd rather eat health-increasing meat than cheaper health-destructive meat.

I'm marinating natural, human-raised pork chops for our supper. Just some salt free organic Kirkland seasoning and lemon. I have asparagus and Swiss chard for sides, and I have berries for our supper dessert. Well, strawberries for hubby, and a melange of strawberries/blueberries/blackberries (organic) for me.

~~

Allan of Almost Gastric Bypass announced the sign-up for Phase 6. After being on the journey since Phase 1, I hate not be in in it, but I cannot follow the plan to the letter, so I won't sign up. BUT...there will be a Phase 6 "preview": Allan and one of the Phase 5 Challengers (Kelly) will be showcasing how Phase 6 will go for a whole week. That should be interesting to watch, right?

I wish Allan and ALL future Phase 6 challengers the uberbest. And I am totally grateful to Allan for coordinating these challenges that so many of us have found inspiring, helpful, and part of a profound journey of learning and self-discovery for me.

Easter is almost here, and that's certainly a holy day associated with new life and miracles. I feel like I am experiencing that in my relationship to food and my fat-loss struggle. And one milestone is that I bought DRESSES. I have not worn a dress to any event in a while. With my big belly apple shape, wearing skirts was an issue  and dresses tended to look like I was a walking sphere of fabric. Now, I have a waist and my belly is flatter and I can wear a dress without looking like a floral-decor barn.

So, I bought 3 cheapo dresses with floral prints and am gonna wear something happy (not black) and girly (not athletic) for Easter. Hooray! I just gotta find sandals to wear, since my shoes and sandals are too big.

I want us all to get to goal and better health and conquer this fat mountain. Go, EVERYONE! Let's do it! Let's be RESURRECTED into a new life that's not food-obsessed, but is overflowing with energy and self-respect and new health...

What's for your dinner tonight? Are you gonna do Phase 6? And are you gonna wear something bright and pretty for the holiday?

My Love Affair with Tanita-San Blooms Still! IF/fasting exercise rocks! Even a Salty Soup (to purposely raise BP) didn't derail me much, huh?....Though I weep Over My Non-Fitting Shoes...And ***I****SPRINTED****...on Day 72 of Phase 5

Tanita-San: 207.8

-2.4 lbs since Sunday. IF and working out on empty stomach continues to rock. The experiment will go on, natch. Let's recap shall we, since I started the IF/empty stomach exercise:

210.2 on Sunday, official DDDY weigh-in; I IF-ed before it for 16 hours
209.4  on Monday, and right afterwards, I went to my workout fasting
208.4 on Tuesday, lighter exercise day. Had an interval play-walk with sprints
207.8 on Wednesday after waiting 17 hours after dinner--breakfast after WI. I suspect I'd have had a greater loss if I had not had the Whole Foods veggie soup which was so salty I added 3/4 cup of water to dilute on Tues evening. But I needed to bring my BP up, hence the salty soup as a deliberate strategy.

I am astounded by that progression. IT IS NOT NORMAL for me, not even at a higher weight. Ever. So, to make sure it's not some weird flub, I will continue to see how this goes. If I see losses more than 1 to 1.4 or 1.6 pounds a week, then I know it's changing to this strategy, cause I'm still at 1200 cals and still at the hydration level the DDDY requires. I only changed the meal scheduling and working out at least a couple times a week in a fasting state. That's it. Food plan's the same. Calories the same. Water the same.

The studies that show IF improves insulin resistance may explain it some....and studies show fasting workouts help increase fat loss (optimally if you don't eat within an hour or so AFTERWARDS, and especially no sugars)....maybe.... it's what I hope, cause I have improved and want to continue to improve.

....or.....

It might well be a coincidence, flub, oddity. But, hey, I like the progression so will continue.

If you try it, let me know how it goes. Don't change your low-cal diet or any other intake or sleep. Just see if working out on an empty stomach and not eating for an hour or more after makes a difference in weigh-ins. And if you do both IF and the fasting workout, let me know, too. I wanna see what that does or has been doing for YOU

Anyway , NEXT THING...

I spent some time trying on assorted sandals since the weather has warmed up, and most are unwearable. I need to upload a pic of one of my fave red ones that simply are beyond me now. Too wide. Sad and happy both about that.

I have to jot down some basics I need to get at the mall tomorrow or Friday in terms of bras and shoes and clothes, just enough to get me through a size. Cause this is mighty expensive buying clothes so often. And now SHOES???? OMG shoes are expensive. (Well, non-crappy shoes, shoes with lots of cush and good leather and that breathe are expensive.) I need a strategy for that to minimize budget pain and maximize use while I lose (meaning hello Spandex!) Maybe I will wear cheapo shoes for a spell (and hope it doesn't give me fungus or something like last time years ago when we economized and the cheapo shoes messed up my toenails.)

Anyway....I'll focus on the good. Body is mobilizing. Blood pressure is down. Belly fat is  burning off. Feet are slimmer (and cuter!). Appetite is minimal. All good.

And what's really good? My knees are not complaining today from the two very brief sprints we did yesterday in our playwalk. I have not sprinted in...um...who knows. A long time.I've wanted to badly this week. Just run a bit and feel it. FEEL the speed. So, when on our playwalk yesterday, I asked hubby to sprint with me. We only did it twice. Both times no more than half a street block. But all out. All out (as much as my 51 year old fearfull, knee-impaired self could go all-out). It was scary and fun. And while my knee was a bit testy in the evening after dinner, it was fine this am. So, I will incorporate more sprints into playwalking. :D

Yes. It felt soooooooooooo nice to do it. To feel the heart pound like mad and breath saw like crazy and blood pump and knees go, "Hey, wait a minute, what was that?" I wouldnt' do that a lot. I did get some slight knee complaint. But it was transient. And I still am happy about doing it.

And what else did I discover? Walking backwards makes stiff hips feel good. Yep. We not only sprinted, we walked backwards, sideways, criss-cross, and just made it a sort of spontaneous "let's do weird cardio stuff" sort of walk. We made it PLAY. And it made it go fast. We wanna do more play. Hubby and I plan to take some sort of ball (lightish) and toss it as we walk. Kick it. Jump with it. Lob it. Whatever...just PLAY and make exercise fun. :)

Try something new in your workout today. Be random. Be playful. Experiment. Surprise your body!

I hope you have good things to report today. Be well, people. Be really full of joy and well....

Day 71 of Phase 5: Another drop. What are your weight loss obstacles (and a catalog of mine)? Are you overcoming them?...and I can have the a/c on higher now (not as heat intolerant) and 90% of my shoes don't fit! PLUS: Dang, the organic blackberries are a-rocking my world!

Whoa? Really? I guess IF and working out on an empty stomach did help fat loss.

Tanita-san: 208.4

That's -1.8 lbs since Sunday's weigh-in.

I'll have to continue that experiment. :D See if this is atypical or if I can expect a solid drop on days when workout after an IF. If I see a pattern of stronger drops with it, it will be my exercise eating system of choice.

I was lightheaded a bit this AM, so I checked my B.P. after getting up: 105/66. Pulse: 55

Wow, no wonder I was getting lightheaded. Good thing I get my labs done today and see the doc soon. May be time to ditch Ramipril altogether. I'm on a tiny dose (she halved my lowdose in Jan when I was passing out from low BP). I may not need it anymore. Fingers crossed.

For those out there with medical/metabolic impediments to weight loss: keep reading, keep learning, keep trying, see professionals (but be aware that sometimes the science takes a while to catch up to the "world is flat" sort of phenomenon in nutrition). It's worth investing in books, dietitians, cognitive therapists, whatever it takes to heal your issue. Sometimes, healing your issue may be as simple as AVOIDING SUGAR AND REFINED/PROCESSED FOODS ALTOGTHER .

Every body/DNA has particulars, but "modern" foods don't seem to benefit a whole lotta us. Figure out what gives you energy, a good mood, and doesn't pack on pounds, and eat that way. I suspect if you go to MORE fruits and veggies and ditch the stuff in boxes and aluminum cans in supermarket aisles, your body is gonna respond.


I have multiple metabolic strikes against me. I kid you not. I am a mess. (Less of a mess at 209 than 299, tho.) I have hurdles that many of you probably do not. Behold the catalog of my obstacle course:


I have a super low metabolism and am post-menopausal (which don't help none, I can tell you), I have several chronic health disorders, I have Metabolic Syndrome, including insulin resistance/prediabetes that made my skin turn charcoal grey-to-nearly-midnight-black in spots it was so bad, and that's not completely resolved YET with 90 lbs loss. I have hypothyroidism. I also take 2 medications that increase appetite.  And I had a DNA test that confirmed I am one of those with markers for obesity AND low metabolism and a higher than normal propensity to absorb fat and not wanna release it without high effort. I was a former binge-eater. I'd eat enough for three men at a pop until I was in horrible bully-busting pain from being overstuffed. I tied food to comfort. And suffering from depression (since age 9), I would hit food when an active depressed cycle showed up.

The impediments to exercise have been: a set of bad knees, mostly the left, which has a torn ACL since 1989, a bad right ankle from a childhood fracture that makes some footwork in Pilates really difficult, an right knee that has succumbed to decades of obesity and makes awful crunchy noises. Asthma (bad, since infancy). Bursitis, L shoulder. And just being BIG. Anyone who exercises when morbidly obese deserves a pat on the back, cause moving AT ALL at that size is a herculean effort, much less moving with effort with weights or walking briskly. Plantar fasciitis that hasn't been as bad as 13 years ago, but can flare up if I do too much on my feet. Much improved with weight loss and mostly wearing sneakers or flats or very well padded shoes. No stilettos for moi.



So, you think you got it bad? (And you may have it worse than me, but that should clear it up that I have to fight for every ounce off.)


If I can lose, chances are you can. If I could stop binge-ing (10+ months with no binge so far), you can. If I could cut down to 1800, then 1700, then 1400, then 1200, you can. If you need to.


If I, a dedicated exercise-hater and couch potato (and I still love being on the couch reading or watching J-dramas and anime) can exercise regularly, you can.

Believe you can. I couldn't do it until I began to step out in faith and worked on learning why I binged/overate and committed to exercising (when I did NOT NOT NOT want to move).

So, what are your weight loss impediments? I know many of us have these individual obstacles, emo and physio. What makes it hard for you?

Okay, I gotta shower and do my curls for the lab work and then do some Whole Food-ing.

BACK..........

Well, had a hard time finding shoes to wear out. I've been pretty much living in sneaks, so it's been a while since I put regular dress shoes on.

Most of my shoes, I just discovered, don't fit. I must have lost more off my feet. I had to put a shoe insert and cotton in my red flats that I bought in February....they were flopping off my feet. My sandals just slip off or my foot slides off to the side. I don't buy cheapo shoes .Most are $100 , some a bit more, some less. And now..I can't wear them? Egads.

Oh, well. I will live in sneakers until goal weight if I gotta. :D

Oh, and I had to start wearing one of my fave rings on my index finger. I had moved it from ring to middle finger late last year. Now even middle finger...too loose. I guess it'll be a thumb ring soon. Wedding band (the "fat" one I got when I ballooned to 240+, not the original) is on middle finger. :)

Really nice day, warm. High 80s. I didn't use the car's a/c. I've noticed since dropping the last 20 that I'm not as heat intolerant. I can keep the air at 76 or 77 instead of 70 and 71, which was my norm through 2010. That's nice. :)

Oh, and to the commenter who asked about the book recommending fasting workouts, see THE NEW EVOLUTION DIET by De Vany. :D

I'm off to break my fast now that my bloodwork/urine have been taken. I went to Whole Foods, got some goodies. Had a craving for Swiss chard, so got some (it looked purdy). Got cooked turkey breast and chicken skewers from the deli, as well as some hard-boiled eggs , so I don't have to think about supper for hubby or have to go through the annoyance of cooking/peeling eggs for snack/salads. I got some fruits and veggies (I hit the Farmer's Market yesterday, so I was pretty well stocked). Some cheeses. From the meat area, I got pork chops and chicken cutlets.  Some Fage. I didn't get nuts, cause I like the walnuts from Fresh Market better.

My breakfast-lunch combo will include some breakfast stuff I like (boiled egg, fruit--mango, strawberries, raspberries,, blackberries, nearly all organic--not the mango, it's local, we have a tree, so it's half-organic, since we use a "non-toxic/green" pesticide/lawn care service) and some lunch stuff (organic mesclun, shredded carrots and beets, cucumber, red peppers, an organic locally made garlic-dill-EVOO-apple-cider-vinegar-sea-salt dressing, skewer-grilled chicken with vegetarian green curry sauce (which I can have as it's not got fish sauce). And Mrs Dash table blend for my eggs instead of salt. :D  I also sipped on some unsweetened coconut milk (only 50 calories, and it was pleasantly milk-like, and since I stopped buying milk and only use unsweetened Almond Breeze lately in its place, I looked at this as a possible second milk replacement. I like it.)

Ooh, I'm making myself hungry. Which is fine. Haven't eaten since dinner last night. I can be hungry. :)

Do something health-promoting today, okay?

UPDATE: BUY THE BLACKBERRIES. Normally, I skip them, cause they're often not sweet and it's not worth the expense. This batch of organic blackberries today were terrific. I only bought 'em cause I saw a lady just load up with like 4 pints of them, so I asked, "Um, are they sweet right now?" She said, "Oh, they're lovely." I trusted her. And I wanna go back and get a bunch more. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Who needs cake?

Feeling great, dropped nearly a pound since yesterday, gonna start thinking of exercise more and more as PLAYING, and it's Day 71 of Phase 5 as I get ready for Pilates...ETA: Working out in a fasting state; I'm Stronger! I can hinge like nobody's business...And I need a smaller sports bra. :D

Tanita-san has fallen in love with me again: 209.4

That's 4/5ths of a pound down from yesterday. Hooray.  I'm getting ready for Pilates session, so I may just leave the subject there and do a partial post and finish later. :)

I'm starting to really enjoy working out, but I want to make it more like play. Pilates is kinda like that. It's my trainer and me, we do different stuff every time, we do something NEW every time, and she has many of my fave music playlists and cds to use for me, often some Japanese-rock or anime-theme comps. So, it IS like a really hard session of playing. Hard, but fun. Satisfying.

And I will say this: I FEEL GREAT. I wake up and feel GREAT. I go to bed feeling GREAT.

I love my walks. I like smelling flowers, seeing new doggies, noting other people, enjoying the architecture (MiMo), singing or humming when I'm in the warm up or cool down phases, and telling myself I'm a warrior when I'm in the brisker phases.

I want to continue to incorporate PLAY as exercise. I don't want it to be stressful mentally. It has to be fun or I won't want to do it forever.

Yesterday, while putting together supper, I was dancing around the kitchen, then running up to smooch hubby, then back to the kitchen and jumping around to some BUCK-TICK.

I kept doing this all day. Just spontaneously dancing in place, cause I felt so much energy. This is not me 20 years, 10 years, 1  year ago. I was bursting with this desire to just...RUN. Just up and go outside and run..like wind. Maybe if I ditch 50 pounds, my knees will let me. I wanna....for 20 or 30 seconds. Just run.


This is an amazing thing for a woman who felt like crap getting up for 20+ years. Who had to set the snooze button like 20 times. Now, I can spring up and feel like I have energy and goals. I LOVE THIS!

It's not worth any binge, not any fricken binge in the world, to stop feeling this good.


So, how do you make exercise exhilirating and fun? :)

(Came back on at 7:15 pm to add that REFUSE TO REGAIN is also addressing the exercise/joy issue. Hah. It's in the bloggy air. Here: READ IT.  One of her transformative principles.)

And I"ll carry on when I get back....

BACK:  The session was astounding. I could literally FEEL that I was stronger. My trainer looked at me in one position and said, 'You know, we don't need to modify this like that anymore. You have even less belly and can do it normally." She readjusted the Reformer and bam, I was hinging farther back than EVER EVER EVER! I astonished myself. I was so happy.  Everything was easier with the couple pounds less of belly. (I must be in belly fat burning cause that's where it seems to be coming off this past week.) My trainer was VERY happy. :) We like progress that's so evident.

I did start experimenting with working out on an empty stomach. I did this in the start of my Pilates journey in 2008 at 278 lbs. It didn't work. I was exhausted in minutes and wanted to die 20 minutes in. I started experimenting with protein/carb/vitamin mixtuers and hit on one that worked (Green Magma, Whey Protein, Berry Splash). But I think I can work on an empty stomach NOW with lotsa energy cause I'm more effective at burning fuel in my body. I've lost weight, the insulin resistance is improved with the new diet plan my R.D. put me on, and I'm fitter. All that combined makes me able to work out without eating for 14-17 hours, and feel no drop in vigor.

I don't have sugar spikes and crashes anymore, cause I eat to control insulin. This helps immensely with steady energy. I don't get the afternoon sleepies/slump anymore.

The reason I'm doing fasting-workouts again now is after reading about how working out on a "fast" status makes the body burn MORE FAT within the hours AFTER THE WORKOUT. So, worth a shot, yes? I"m all about burning the fat. :D And this apparently also has a beneficial effect on telomeres. Look it up. :D

So, walkies later, and hopefully a trip to the mall to get me a couple new bras and something for Easter. My dress clothes are just too big again and my sports bra is getting loose...and it's vexing when stuff doesn't fit. You look frumpy and feel out of sorts. I like my clothes more snug now. :)

Move happily and well today. Eat happily and well. Make progress to getting healthier, okay?

OK, later dudes and dudettes....

(Note: I got tired of "maybe it's this day of the challenge", so I went back and counted from February 7. It's Day 71. Yay. So, 49 days to go...7 weeks...I could lose at least 14 pounds at a 2 lb a week rate. Well into Wonderland. Yes. Yessssss.)

Are you in "Food Calm Zen Zone" yet? It's Nice To Be Here...An Inspiring 6 Month Blogger's Update...Day 69 (?) of Phase 5

My official weigh-in for the Challenge is 210, 2 lbs down from last Sunday.

Tanita-san said: 210.2, 210.0, 210.2.
So,  210.2 it is for me and rounded for the challenge weigh-in. It's what I asked my body to be when I went to bed. I had put my hands on my abdomen and just told my brain and my belly to give me 210.2 or less, so I could have a nice weigh-in. We done it.

I keep feeling a bit astonished at how, day in and day out, for several months now, I've just felt pretty much FOOD CALM.

I don't obsess about ordering this or that, though I will have particular cravings. The cravings tend to be lighter and more passing than in the past 20+ years. I'll think, "Oh, a veggie lasagna sounds mighty nice." And then it'll pass and I have whatever is on my plan.

Before, I'd feel semi-frantic preparing food, cause I wanted to eat it RIGHT NOW.

Now, I take my time fixing my meals. No rush. I'll pop a piece of melon or chew a chunk of celery or a few spinach leaves when making stuff, but no sense of , " I must eat now or I will DIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE."

I can get up feeling normal, not famished for breakfast. I crave fresh food. More and more I look at packages and cans and think, "I need to give these away to the local food pantry." Every day, it's the freshest stuff that seems to call my  name. I'm leery more and more of all these fake foods, even the handy diet fake foods that I used to begin my journey last summer and whose use has dwindled more and more as the months have gone on.

Even my beloved WS hot cakes (lower carb, low calorie) don't have the allure they used to. They are there as a "If I get a hot cake craving" thing, but I default to fresh stuff more. We weren't created to eat little packets of fake food. Whether it's MediFast, WonderSlim, BariWise, ProtiDiet or whatever. That's really an unnatural way to eat. And while they may serve a purpose, I am very leery mentally of relying on these too long. It's fake. It's often salty. It's often packed with not-that-high-quality stuff (hey, they want profit, remember).

I wish there was an organic Farmer's Market ACROSS THE STREET so I could go every day, blithely, with a basket or my Baggus and just get new, beautiful produce daily. Whatever is freshest and most beautiful.

Ah, well. One can dream.

I'd rather have fresh watermelon than chocolate cake or an Oreo these days. I'd rather have lightly sauteed baby bok choy than an egg roll or sweet n sour pork. I'd rather have a fresh herbed cut of meat well-grilled than a salty preserved sausage or hot dog (packed with who knows what crap). I want to keep feeling this way.

I can go to bed feeling lighter, not overstuffed from dinner.

I can go to restaurants and not freak when I see chocolate mousse or cheese souffle on the menu, or baby back ribs or pizza, or anything. I'm fine. I zoom in and target on what I CAN HAVE that will make me feel BETTER....and continue the appetite calm.

I take a page from Gillian Riley. When confronted by that menu of delights, I tell myself I can have it if I want it, but then I think of the sequence of consequences: insulin spike, increased hunger, bloating, possible a binge.

"Is it worth the chain reaction that MIGHT possibly destroy this nice flow of FOOD CALM?"

Usually, mostly, the answer is NO WAY.

I like appetite zen zone. :)

It feels good, right?

And on a side note: Anyone know what's up with Kristen of KREATING KRISTEN blog. Looks like she went private, but I don't recall seeing a post saying she was doing so. Oh, well. Hope she's okay. Too many folks gone private or whose blogs gone missing altogether this year. Bummer.

Need some inspiration: HERE YA GO.  In 6 months--SIX months--a loss of 97 lbs and status change from couch potato to half-marathoner. Yes, baby. That's motivational!

Happy Sunday, People. Choose wisely today when you choose what goes into your mouth.

Another drop, hoping to report 2 lbs off in tomorrow's weigh-in...Amazon.com sold out of Everyday Paleo and not in my local B&N...Sustainable Diet for Maintenance Later?...Broccoli Binge?...all on what is likely day 68 of Phase 5 (lost count)

Tanita-san= 210.6

So close to being in another "decade". Argh. Can taste it!

I rested yesterday to give my heat rash a break. Have one welt that is still crazy itchy and really pink, but I'm easing off using too much of the steroid cream. I'll grin-some and bear-it-some and see.

I was hoping EVERYDAY PALEO would be on its way to me next week, but when I went to order it (yeah, didn't preorder), it was out of stock at amazon. It was not available for Kindle or Nook. And my local B&N (I called) didn't have it.

So, I left it in my shopping cart and will order when it's back in stock. Maybe it'll have some more reviews available by then. Meanwhile, I will peruse the yummy recipes over at the EVERYDAY PALEO blog 

Hubby and I are moving towards fewer (in his case) to nearly no (in my case) grains and legumes and sugar, and Paleo/Primal/Primarian dishes fit that profile. It's easy enough for me to add some rice or potatoes or bread to his meals when he wants that, in lesser portions. I just mostly skip them altogether. And that's really easy for breakfast and lunch (as my dietitian's meal plans are quite happy with me having eggs/veggies and protein/salads for those meals.)  I do watch portions, measure, and don't go nuts with the fats.

It seems to be a sustainable diet (Primarian is what I'm doing with dietitian recommendation, /Paleo/Primal inspired sorta, but with dairy allowed as well as sugar free treats allowed), that maybe I can use on maintenance. I'm learning more and more about it NOW, cause when maintenance comes, I wanna be armed and ready. (Remember, target and weapons from that Warrior book?) I gotta get my weapons in a row.

And if a diet/eating plan is not sustainable, what's the point? If you can't KEEP eating in a way to maintain weight loss, why did we even bother to lose any weight? Right?

So, for me, I'm finding ditching most of the starch is not as onerous as I once thought it would be. (I had tried South Beach when it first came out and ATKINS shortly before, and hated doing both. I simply defaulted to a lot of processed, easy, low-carbing, and that isn't tasty). Primarian and Paleo/Primal IS tasty. This is hugely important.

It's dinner when I tend to crave starches (ya know, pasta, rice, potatoes, beans, yuca). The only starch I really miss at breakfast is oatmeal, and once in a while a nice bit of toast. Otherwise, I'm fine with veggie egg white omelettes or scrambles (or whole eggs occasionally) with fruit and java. Makes me feel good. Lotsa energy. No weird afternoon energy crashes since I ditched most (nearly all) starches.

I joke about how we don't binge on broccoli, but last night, I wanted to. I had two cups of steamed broccoli lightly sprinkled with parmesan, and it was so amazing, I wanted more and more. No, I didn't have more and more, but I WANTED TO JUST EAT buckets of the stuff. I didn't have any dessert or treat (sugar free or otherwise) last night. Just my unsweetened tea, broccoli, chicken, asparagus, and some carrot puree soup. I was happy. And happy with the scale. Yes!

Today's breakfast was my standby egg white omelette with organic spinach, mushrooms, onions and some Jarlsberg Lite Swiss and fresh papaya with squeezes of fresh lime juice, water, coffee. Satisfying.

I have leftover chicken for supper. Probably just throw some veggies next to it--maybe artichoke hearts and a broiled tomato-- or throw it on a salad. Not sure. I have it all spiced up with Shawarma spicing and may garlic it up even more. (Loooove garlic) If hubby wants a starch, he'll get some potato, likely.

I want to have a nice brisk cardio-walk with him later, when it's cooler, cause I don't wanna go another day without moving. Hopefully, the rash won't get all riled up again.

On to Sunday's weigh-in. Fingers crossed I can stay away from the sodium (that'll mess up a weigh-in but good) and report more than 1 lbs. I've lost 1.4, but I have to ROUND the number....If I lose a fifth of a pound or more by tomorrow, I can report a 2 lbs loss (rounded). And hey, if my body wants to be freaky and actually lose .6 of a pound, that'd be super. No rounding needed.

I hope your Saturday is going well and you're eating well and you're moving well and you're FEELING WELL!

Salt setback and New Inflammation...The Distressing Disappearing-Boobs-Becoming-Socks And Hanging-Wrinkled-Laundry-Skin-Side-Effect of Weight Loss (NO Pics, hah)...The Soothing JMT...Detaching Food From Emotions...Lap Band Risks...and it's (maybe) Day 68 of Phase 5, but it's definitely EMANCIPATION DAY! Set yourself free!

Lotsa things today. First is the setback from salt. My lovely progress halted by an insanely salty soup from the Italian cafe. It was dinner last night. I added mushrooms and spinach and some ground beef to the minestrone, cause I did not feel like cooking. Had papaya with it for dessert.

Woke up at 211.8. Ouch.

I don't hit the salt as much as I used to, and I still have moments of backsliding. But, hey, soup was delish. Nice minestrone with very little pasta and a lot of veggies. Calories were fine yesterday. :) Did Pilates for an hour and walked for 30 mins.

The warmer weather and pollens have hit again. My arms, down to my fingers, are a red rash, as is my chest. My throat feels like someone has their hands around there and is choking me. I worry this might be an autoimmune flare-up. When I get that choking feeling, it tends to mean my thyroid is going through an active attack-it phase, which means harder to breathe, harder to bend neck, harder to swallow. I hate my crappy immune system, but just gotta deal until it subsides. I may do a complete exercise rest day and stay out of the sun and see how that goes....

So, the boobies...  I was naked last night after a shower and applying prescription steroid cream to my rash (would not sleep otherwise as the burning and itch was insane). I had tilted to the side and bent over and..what the hell is that on my chest? Oh, yeah, my boobs. They are starting to disappear (in terms of fullness) and elongate into tube socks of soft floopy skin. Oh, Joy! Yet another crap effect of having been morbidly obese and losing it. My bountiful, creamy, lovely-to-the-touch bosom pals--I used to enjoy cupping them all the time; yes, I liked the feel of my old boobies--are deflating alarmingly.

What ya gonna do? Get fat again? No way. I'll live with it. Went to hubby, who was already in bed, clapped his hand on one of my deflatees, and asked if it was awful. He said no way and kept grabbing.

Fine. If he doesn't have an issue, I should chill. He's the only one besides me and my docs who needs to see/grab em. If he's fine with the socks, then I can deal better. I'll keep moisturizing to keep them a nice plush and velvety brand of tube sockies. And I'll keep buying good bras.

The inner thighs are also distressing. And upper arms. They are even crinklier this week, methinks. Like shirts that were bunched up and not ironed. Ah, well. More lotion. I'll work on developing Crinkle Blindness: the inability to see the icky crinkles in deflated formerly really fat areas of the body.

Oh, a John Michael Talbot oldie just came on the radio (Christian station). I feel better. It's soothing...oooooh.....yes....I needed to hear this. Perspective. Destressing. Loooooveee...

For the Mighty God has done great things for me,
and His mercy will reach from age to age,
and holy, holy, holy is His Name.


All better now.

If you're a Christian and need relaxing music, and if you haven't discovered JMT (who has been around for a long time, both in secular music and then Christian), then here...go explore. I find him blissfully relaxing, and he's great for alone worship and meditation.

Next:
I visited a blog where the dieter has lost A LOT of weight and has worked to de-attach her eating from her emotions. I've seen others who've succeeded at weight loss do this. It doesn't mean that food doesn't taste good or give the eater pleasure. Eating IS pleasurable. It means food is fuel and we eat it to nourish ourselves, and we don't make food our partner, our comfort, our security blanket, our refuge, our reward, our stress management mechanism.

Every time you say, "I deserve to eat this cause I had a hard day", you are continuing to entrench eating as a reward or a comfort. For overeaters/the overweight/the obese, this is not a good strategy. When you give your kids food as a reward--"eat your broccoli and I'll reward you with a cookie"-- you may be setting them up to comfort and reward themselves with food in the future. Broccoli is nutritious food and fuel. Cookies are toxic food and fuel. If you're gonna tie emotions to something, tie it to broccoli or strawberries or spinach, for pete's sake. :) But better to just look at food as something that is nice to eat, but is mostly to make your body work to let you LIVE LIFE.

Food is to help you live your life. Food is not itself life.

The blog is called SUGARLESS DIET and on April 4, she wrote:

That's my no fun eating plan. Realistically, eating like I will be eating is boring. Simple, clean, processed as little as possible, with little variety. Boring. But you see, I have decided a long time ago, back when I was starting that for me eating can not be entertainment or consolation or reward or fun or anything that ties in emotions. If I want any of that I'll have to get it from other sources, like reading, travel, socializing or other non food related experiences. Food is fuel - no more, no less. I truly believe in that last sentence and it's only since I have stopped eating sugar that I have been able to come to the state of mind that accepts that concept.

She's dropped more than 100 pounds and her latest post has before/after pics. Inspiring. Congrats, Floriana.

Her eating plan is one I'm moving more and more towards. It's the one that seems to best 1. control cravings and 2. lessen appetite and 3. work well for my medical issues. It makes sense to me (especially for I.R./diabetic folks) and it clearly worked for her.

Next:
I researched bariatric surgery a few years ago (mostly 2008, 2009) when I was feeling hopeless about losing weight. I was losing very little, regaining a bit, losing a bit, maintaining a lot. I hung around in the 270s and hung and hung...  Lap band appealed to me more than gastric bypass. But the more I researched, the more disheartened I got at the possible complications, regain, etc. I figured if I was going to regain anyway or have some terrible complication, I might as well keep giving diet/exercise/mental change a shot.

I'm glad I didn't have lap band. I'm glad I came to believe I could do it. I want to keep doing it. I want to reach goal weight. It may have taken me a long time and it may take me longer, but this latest article I saw in Google News made me really glad I skipped the lap band. (As did having a friend of mine who had lap band some years ago convert to a gastric sleeve, cause she was having issues with the band and regaining a lot.)

Finally:


Happy Emancipation Day!

Freedom is never absolute, I suppose, but freedom is a great thing. To be able to choose your life partner. To be able to choose your career. To be able to choose your hobbies, where you live, what you eat.

Within Freedom comes duty and responsibility and ethics and morality (which puts limits on freedom for the greater good and one's own benefit). It's wonderful to live in a nation where we can make decisions about our life's course so widely. I was not born indentured or enslaved. I married the man of my free choice, not someone else's selection. I chose to study what I wanted in college, not what someone forced me to. I get to sleep at the hour I choose to and eat the dinner I want to make. This is amazing.

As an eater, I often misused that freedom. I made and bought and ate meals that damaged my body, which in turn limited my body's freedom to move. Impaired mobility from fat sucks. OMG, it is so much better, even still obese, to be able to get into all sorts of flexible positions--in Pilates, in bed, on the couch (sitting Indian style is a breeze these days), in the shower, in the car.

Too many liberties in one area--meaning not enough responsibility, duty, morality, discretion, moderation--takes liberty away from another area. You pay for imbalances.

Today, celebrate freedom. But do so by freely choosing to put limits on your freedom to eat any damn thing you want. Choose to eat the things that lead to MORE freedome (freedom to travel, freedom to try all those poses in the Happy Acrobatic Sex Manual, freedom to kayak or jog or fit in restaurant booths).  Put limits on eating  in order to have greater freedom in all other parts of life. Better freedom.

Choosing eat too much or too much crap enslaves you. It really does.

The unfortunates who lived lives of grave injustices and horrible misery under slavery in this great land of ours (to our national historical shame) did not have a choice. They ate what they were given, were bred like animals to whomever the  master chose, slept where the master decided (or didn't sleep as the master decided) and were provided with rags or clothes or chains or anything at someone else's decree. It's awful. Slavery is awful. And I thank God we got rid of that blight on our land.

But slavery can be self-imposed, too. We limit our creativity, ability, potential in all sorts of ways. And with us obese folks, food becomes a master and fat a shackle.

Choose EMANCIPATION FROM FAT today. Give yourself a proclamation decreeing yourself SET FREE and begin to live that way...free to choose to eat healthfully and in proper portions.

And be well...

Is Sugar Toxic? Well, I am on the "Yes" side of the debate aisle....and it scares me poopless to think what I've done consuming the crap for 50 years.......beware, a rant...

 "If Lustig is right, then our excessive consumption of sugar is the primary reason that the numbers of obese and diabetic Americans have skyrocketed in the past 30 years. But his argument implies more than that. If Lustig is right, it would mean that sugar is also the likely dietary cause of several other chronic ailments widely considered to be diseases of Western lifestyles — heart disease, hypertension and many common cancers among them.

Some time ago, I posted on my old blog the link to the youtube video of Dr. Lustig's SUGAR: THE BITTER TRUTH. That and Gary Taubes first book on carbohydrates and their link to fat storage/obesity/diabetes/heart disease got me to start weaning off sugar, bit by bit. I think they are both onto something. And it's VERY scary.

Read the article. Even if you have doubts or disagreements, read it. If you're insulin resistant or diabetic, you had really better read it, especially the last paragraphs dealing with I.R. And if you eat sugar and HFCS, please, please, take a few minutes to read it. If you forget about this post, you'll find the link on my right sidebar for "Is Sugar Toxic?" If you want a hard copy, I believe it will be in this coming Sunday's NY TIMES.

I was diagnosed with Metabolic Syndrome in 1998 (Syndrome X was the term I heard a lot back then for the syndrome). I have Insulin Resistance. Changes in my diet kept me from going full-blown diabetic in 2004 when I was at my highest weight. Thank God. As I lose weight, I hope to burn off the toxic fat in my liver. Yes, I have fatty liver (and I do not drink). Reading the part in this article about the possible correlation with cancer is terrifying. I have been I.R. for two decades plus. What the hell did that do to me?

Did I start to get fit in time? I ask myself this question a lot. I'm 51.

Like Allan says, "Sure, take your time. Being fat is no problem." This article says there's a time bomb and it may be well related to sugar/HCFS consumption and insulin resistance/diabetes/Metabolic Syndrome.

Time bomb.

Yeah, let's keep stuffing down those sugary treats and justifying them as just "a little sweet something" cause we have a craving, we're stressed, or coworkers keep bringing them in, our period is coming, our in-laws bug us, the weather sucks, it's Christmas, it's Mardi Gras, it's Easter, it's Fourth of July, it's Halloween, it's Thanksgiving,  it's my birthday, your birthday, his birthday, their birthday, my anniversary, his anniversary, the President's speech is on, the next Harry Potter movie is on, it's a blue moon, it's an eclipse, it's a meteor, it's Monday, it's Friday,  oops, it's the PMS thing again, and another Friday, and it's ABCXYZ... ad infinitum...

It's just a treat. No biggie. A sweet something that makes us feel good.

Only that treat is being used often, every day, twice a day. How many treats are in our food journals each day, day by day? Sugar-including treats? HCFS-riddled treats?  A cookie or two here. A Skinny Cow there. A chocolate VitaTop (sugar--third ingredient) here. A 1/4 can of Pepsi there. A frozen yogurt here. A 1/2 cup of Ben and Jerry's there. Oh, look, a handful of M&Ms and a Pop-Tart slipped in that uber-stressful day. Maybe a 90-calorie Quaker granola bar get snapped up for an in-the-car breakfast. (Count how many times sugar comes up in the list of ingredients. Gasp freely.Go look at your granola's ingredients. I dare you. )

I can't do those justifications anymore..not with any amount of ease. I'm too scared of the damage already done and the damage that would be yet-to-come if I went back to sugary ways.

Note no one is talking about an occasional, special treat. We eat this crap daily in the US. A lot of us eat it several times a day in all sorts of foods....

See if you can do sugary treats and foods and sodas with mental ease after reading the article. After watching Dr. Lustig's video. See how calm you can be handing that second slice of birthday cake, side of ice cream to Juanito, that bag of lollipops or that Three Musketeers bar to lil Emily, the candy apples and cotton candy at the fair to Jenny, or the couple Oreos or Froot Loops breakfast to Caleb, Jr?

What are they eating in school that you can't control readily? Do you even know? (Watch the recent Jamie Oliver program on the LA area's school food. OMG! ) Sweetened chocolate milk. Sugar-added pancake syrup. Sugar-fruit yogurt. Sugar laden pizza sauce. Danishes. Brownies. Sugary cereals. The chocolates for fundraisers for the band. Any vending machines nearby? What do they have?

Then maybe the young ones are on the way home, and they pick up some treats--gum, chocolate bars, ice cream cones, milk shakes. Then while doing homeowork, some trendy new treat gets munched on. Maybe hit some jelly beans when it's time to watch tv. Or caramel popcorn. Or a few Nilla Wafers washed down with some "fruit juice beverage" that's essentially sugar water. Or a Coke or a Dr. Pepper.

Maybe dinner has meat drenched in bbq sauce (HFCS second ingredient)  or they use up a 1/2 cup of ketchup on that burger with fries (HFCS # 3, corn syrup #4 ingredients) or there's sweet-n-sour Chinese or a honey-mustard dipping sauce for the nuggets that's more sugar or corn syrup than actual honey. And what are they drinking with dinner? Sugary fruit punch? Sugary lemonade? Hawaiian Punch? Regular soda? Flavored/sugared milk?

Just see if maybe you don't think twice...three times...about what mainlining all that sugar's gonna do to your babies....what it already is doing...

Me, I regularly call sugar-- online and offline-- "da debbil". I do believe it is the devil in the human diet. One of them, for sure. The Big One, perhaps.  It's pervasive in the US (read labels). It's addictive. (Take away a kid's--or PMS woman's treats--and try not to get killed.) It's fattening.

The devil in the diet.

"Isocaloric" is not "Isometabolic", says Dr. Lustig. (See the article for definitions.) We forget that, I think.

Here are the concluding paragraphs:

Most of the researchers studying this insulin/cancer link seem concerned primarily with finding a drug that might work to suppress insulin signaling in incipient cancer cells and so, they hope, inhibit or prevent their growth entirely. Many of the experts writing about the insulin/cancer link from a public health perspective — as in the 2007 report from the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research — work from the assumption that chronically elevated insulin levels and insulin resistance are both caused by being fat or by getting fatter. They recommend, as the 2007 report did, that we should all work to be lean and more physically active, and that in turn will help us prevent cancer.

But some researchers will make the case, as Cantley and Thompson do, that if something other than just being fatter is causing insulin resistance to begin with, that’s quite likely the dietary cause of many cancers. If it’s sugar that causes insulin resistance, they say, then the conclusion is hard to avoid that sugar causes cancer — some cancers, at least — radical as this may seem and despite the fact that this suggestion has rarely if ever been voiced before publicly. For just this reason, neither of these men will eat sugar or high-fructose corn syrup, if they can avoid it.

“I have eliminated refined sugar from my diet and eat as little as I possibly can,” Thompson told me, “because I believe ultimately it’s something I can do to decrease my risk of cancer.” Cantley put it this way: “Sugar scares me.”

Sugar scares me too, obviously. I’d like to eat it in moderation. I’d certainly like my two sons to be able to eat it in moderation, to not overconsume it, but I don’t actually know what that means, and I’ve been reporting on this subject and studying it for more than a decade. If sugar just makes us fatter, that’s one thing. We start gaining weight, we eat less of it. But we are also talking about things we can’t see — fatty liver, insulin resistance and all that follows. Officially I’m not supposed to worry because the evidence isn’t conclusive, but I do.

Rant Done.

Now I'm going to bed (this will be published hours from now) singing a bit of an old Randy Stonehill song: "Shut de do'. Keep out de debbil. Shut de do'...keep de debbil in de night...shut de do'...keep out de debbil...light de candle...evvything's all right..."

Then....Now...To Go... some Pics and Motivational Rah-Rah-ing on Day 66 (or whatever) of Phase 5...cause Seeing Where You've Been and Where You Are Keeps You Pumped Up For Where You're Going...

Then:

278 lbs,  21 lbs less than highest weight (2008)

Now:

212 lbs (a few days ago)

Today: 211.2
To go: 51.2 lbs. Looking forward to a whole new "NOW"  when I hit goal.

My original target date for goal weight achievement was September 3, 2012. I'm feeling confident I'll make it BEFORE that date. My heart wants it to be by Christmas, so I can wear a killer holiday outfit (with a lot of Spanx to control that saggy, empty skin).

My new motto for 2011:

Eyes on the prize, heart on the target, soul on the goal!

When temptation hits today, eyes...heart...soul....GOAL.....let's NOT waver...

Day 65 (prolly) of Phase 5: Are you REALLY eating your veggies? They love you. Love them BACK! and a Link to Veggies for April...

Tanita-san = 211.4


That's .4 down from yesterday. I think I can skip weigh-ins until the official one. It's clear the movement continues. Been nearly a week since the plateau busted, and I was fearful it would come back. Hah. But it's been .2 to .8 losses from day to day, so I can ease off the scale. I was 216 last Tuesday. That's 4.6 lbs since the height of the plateau.

Yesterday was Pilates and my cardio walk in the evening. All is well in the eating and exercise fronts.

Anyway, about VEGETABLES:

To some, that's a dirty word. Well, yeah, they grow in soil, so I guess. I had gunk on my fingers yesterday from selecting baby bellas at the Farmer's Market yesterday. Good dirt growing yummy mushrooms.

If you shudder at the word vegetables, it's time to retrain your brain and mouth. You really need to make your palate veggie-friendly. With the exception of some folks with particular intestinal/digestion issues, we benefit greatly from eating our veggies. This is not news. You know this.

Anyhow, the way the challenge plan got tweaked by my R.D. was simply to replace starches (except I'm allowed 1 starch serving) with veggies, pretty much. So, I eat a lot of veggies. This is not a bad thing. Vegetables are powerhouses of nutrition, and the more colorful and varied, the better. There are some fruits and veggies I can't eat (allergies to them, along with my vile allergy to all seafood, which is frustrating as heck). But the variety of produce is huge in the US, and we should make a point to try new stuff and enjoy vegetables at all meals. Yep. Even breakfast. :)

I go to the Farmer's Market 2x a week to keep stocked. I keep happy persimmon-red Baggu reusable totes in my trunk, so I am always ready to get produce when I'm out and about on errands or even on date nights. Yep. We've gone from dinner some nights to Whole Foods.

Yesterday, I consumed a huge variety of veggies. Veggies at every meal. Here is a list of what I had from the veggie kingdom (and I'll include my two fruits--as I get 2 servings of fruit a day, sometimes 3, but she prefers I stick to 2):

spinach
olives
tomatoes
cucumbers
onions, red
onions, sweet (adore those, had 1/3 of a huge one)
baby zucchini
asparagus
carrots
cabbage
baby bella mushrooms
avocado
jalapeno peppers
green bell peppers
Cubanelle peppers
iceberg lettuce
papaya (squirted with lime juice)
watermelon (dessert at dinner)
~about three raspberries and 2 blueberries (just a quickie sampling before stowing them in the fridge)

In all, I had 12 servings of 21 different fruits and veggies. 

Now, tell me I didn't get my phytonutrients and antioxidants. Tell me I wasn't FULL when I was done eating. You can't eat a bunch of cups of fiber-filled and water-rich foods and not feel comfortably stuffed :)

I always try to cook my veggies minimally. I eat at least one salad a day, so I get some raw. Fruits are raw (generally, unless I get a yen for homemade compote or a baked apple). I saute lightly the others with some healthful oil (not tons of it). I use herbs liberally.

Today, I have blueberries, raspberries, broccolini, and mixed organic baby lettuces, and a mango ready to be consumed, along with some regulars--spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onion, peppers. I might add an apple today, if I need crunch.

Freggies are filling. Freggies are good for your body and digestion. Freggies are the dieter's BESTEST pal. You can eat a LOT LOT with not a lot of calories. I mean, seriously, if you slice up a fresh, organic, chilled cucumber and sprinkle with herbs and some nice vinegar, it's a snack for almost NOTHING calorically. But it has a sparkle and a crispiness that can kill a snack urge. Bite into a small, fresh, gala apple...and chew. And chew. It will stop you from reaching for something that's utter crap.

As more than one fatfighter has said: You didn't get fat eating a lot of broccoli and cucumbers and plums.

Wanna try something in season every month of the year. Lookee here for ideas.

My insulin resistance makes it not possible for me to safely eat grains, beans (which I adore), and assorted starches. I have to keep an eagle eye on how much I ingest. If you're diabetic or insulin resistant, you know how it is We get groggy and dozy and less energetic from these. Blood pressure goes up. Cholesterol goes up. AND... My eyesight can even blur if I go on a starch binge.

When I watch starches and keep them low to nil, I have more energy and my weight loss is less impeded. In fact, it flows much better for someone with my whack metabolism.

But I do eat carbs. I am not carbphobic. I am starch-avoidant.

I eat fruit.
I eat some yogurt (not tons).
I drink (occasionally) some milk.
I eat a lot of veggies.
I am not in ketosis.
I eat plenty of carbs...

...though I do better keeping them under 100 g a day, and at 80 g a day, my weight loss is nicer, steadier.

So, definitely take a veggie inventory. How many servings do you eat a day of NON-STARCHY veggies (ie, don't fall back on potatoes, corn, etc). The colorful stuff. The low-cal stuff. How many?

How much variety do you get in your fruits and veggies? Are you in a rut?

Maybe it's time to try a new fruit or veggie? :) Make a new buddy...

Day 64 (methinks) of Phase 5: Lil progress, Stronger Pilates Workout, Unleashing my Warrior Within and a Book to Help You Unleash Yours!

 Tanita-san: 211.8

Likey! Several days of consistent losses. Makes me happy. Noticeably smaller belly.

I was able to do an advanced Pilates move today, which cheered me a lot. Progress makes me grin. The roll ups are getting easier with less belly. Breathing is not 100%, but improved enough we didn't have to slow the pace unduly.

I started reading a book I bought for hubby: UNLEASH THE WARRIOR WITHIN. He's been wanting to ratchet up the career mode, and I want to ratchet up all sorts of goal-oriented modes. :) So, I figured it would help us both. It's written by a former Navy SEAL.Right on the first page of the introduction, he says:

If you want something bad enough, you have the power to make it happen--no matter what other people have to say, no matter how tough the odds at first appear to be. I'm not telling you this to make you feel good, I'm not telling you this because it sounds nice. I'm telling you this because I know it's true. I've lived it. And you can too.

I have a lot of goals and not a whole lot of time, even if I have the average US life span. So, I choose to believe that if I focus, I can do things I didn't believe I could do before. Getting to goal weight and raising fitness levels. That's Target Number One and Number Two.

He goes on to say in the first chapter:

Targets dictate weapons, weapons dictate movement is the fundamental principle behind succeeding in anything...

...once you pick a target, that target will lead you to the next steps if you let it...You can't afford to abandon a target in the process of knocking it down...

If you're shifting from one target to another target, there's no way to successfully deploy your weapons and movement with purpose.

Basically, the target is inflexible. You focus on that. The movement is flexible.

I'm reading now about the special target analysis given to SEALs to figure out which is the most vital target. And questions that every person embarking on serious weight loss to get to the target (goal weight) needs to, NO, must ask themselves--and I jump around the chapter, so these are various excerpts, not how the text is itself:

Are you willing to make a choice?
Do you have the courage to start?
Can you make the commitment to finish?

A lot of people make the choice. Few people have the courage to start. Rarely do people have the commitment to finish. The people who do are those who have the guts to get through the losses along the way in order to reach the victory at the end.
...Knocking down the big target is nothing more than knocking down a bunch of smaller targets.

You want to be the person who takes responsibility for picking targets that will significantly improve the quality of your life...

Most of what makes this hard takes place in your own mind. That means you have the power to make it a whole lot easier.

I find losing weight pretty easy this time. I've never lost anything like this amount of weight before. I've never stuck to exercising like this before (almost 3 years now, but 4 months of nearly daily exercise).

It's the ONLY time in my life it's been easy (by comparison to the struggles, regains, struggle, regains, hungers, bingeing, good in day and bad at night, more bingeing, etc of the past).

I believe it's cause I made a firm commitment, particularly when I began this blog last September. I started the new blog because I said, I have  a big goal, and I have short term goals, and I'm gonna get it done within two years. End of story. Goal weight by September 2012.

I had more than one frightened and vulnerable moment after making the commitment and deciding to be accountable with photos and weigh-ins. I had many times when my faith in myself wavered. It was often seeing other bloggers succeed that kept me going. It was sometimes the right word of encouragement from a fellow fatfighter that helped me try something HARDER. But there really was no turning back.

I committed.

Being committed means, well, let's say I used to eat pizza 2 to 3 times a week. I haven't had a slice since, um, back in January. I calculated that move. My sister wanted to eat pizza with us, so I went. With a strategy. At least 2 glasses of water and a salad before a bite of pizza. At least 2 cups of decaf on top of the water as I ate the pizza to fill up.  I had 1.333 slices of a personal size (ie 10 inch) with no meat toppings. Just cheese, sauce, basil, oregano. I lost weight that week. :) No binge.

When I want pizza, I ask myself what do I want more? To keep my appetite calm, eat well, get to goal weight, or do I want to trigger appetite and maybe risk a binge? And if the answer is, "I can handle it fine. I'll go with someone and have my plan," then I'll have it. But I choose to NOT have it more often these days. I won't let it have power over me or slow me down. When my sis wants it again, I'll join her. With my strategy. With my weapons. With agile, flexible movement as needed.

I choose NO pizza now...and why?  I choose THE TARGET.

I choose no lasagna now. I choose no cheese enchiladas now. (These have all been trigger, bingey foods for me). Why? I choose the TARGET. 

I'd rather have THE TARGET and I'd rather win the war then have lasagna or enchiladas or pizza every week.

Winning battles means this: I know I can handle this stuff better now. I can really, really enjoy ONE SMALL SLICE and savor it. BUT...I know I can't order a pizza when home alone. That leaves me with too few weapons and too little flexibility. It puts me in harm's way.

No solo pizza eating. Ever.

I had a birthday. I chose the TARGET, meaning no traditional cake, no ice cream, no high-calorie foods. I chose a healthful menu and was surprised by my sister's sugar-free cake and fruit offering (I had maybe 150 cals total, including sugar-free whipped cream).

I chose the TARGET. Not the momentary ease of just having whatever.

I go out to dinner regularly. I only go to restaurants that offer something I CHOOSE TO EAT, not stuff I just wanna eat. I keep the TARGET in mind--goal weight target, caloric level target, nutritional makeup of macronutrient target, fluid target, pleasure target (cause you should enjoy what you eat, even if it's not a lot)--and I move accordingly. I move to THAT restaurant with THIS WEAPON.

I don't go unarmed. I don't go without a battle strategy. I don't go without preparation. I don't go in BLIND. I have the enemy in mind. I have the target in mind. My goal is to kick ass.

I'm more than halfway to goal weight from my highest weight. I have 52 lbs to go. 87 lost so far. If I lose 87, I can lose 52. And the fact that I've lost pretty steadily and consistently since last June (with some bobbles as I established new patterns), tells me being TARGET focused has improved my WEAPONS and kept my momentum.

I have adjusted my eating. I saw an R.D. when I needed counsel. I keep paying a trainer we can barely afford because it's part of fighting the fat war. I walk. I buy workout clothes that make me feel cute so I am cheered and keep the motivation going. I blog to stay focused. I joined challenges to keep my eyes on the target and refine my weapons. I read blogs for insight and advice. I read books. I try to learn and get MORE WEAPONS and become MORE FLEXIBLE when I get hit by enemies (temptations,  hormonal swings, insomnia).

I am the warrior in the fat fight. I'm doing what it takes. The target will be acquired. The fricken enemy is gonna die. I'm blasting my inner overeating butthead to smithereens.


I think this book rocks. :D I like SEALs mojo. :D

Go, fatfighting warriors. No excuses. No slacking. It's war. You wanna win? Or you wanna be taken down by that cookie, M&M, pizza, burger and fries, fried mozzarella sticks? The mission is on! If you win or lose...if I win or lose...it's up to you and me.


I'm gonna win.

.

Day 62 (mebbe) of Phase 5: OMG, I'm having a good Challenge Weigh-In! The seasonal changes that will affect my walking...Um...and not much else to say...and a Pic of What 212 lbs looks like on Me...

Tanita-san: 212.4

Yep. Dat's right. We lingered for a while in the 215 decimals, zoomed past 213 and 214 and am in the 212 and change area. I hope I'll leave 212 in the dust soon.

Still have some blood, so the "quasi-freak period" from the female hormone release--yes, has happened before on this long weight loss journey--continues. Estrogen can be stored in my old fat. I was tagged menopausal by the gyn back in 2009. So, I guess I'm burning some pre-2009 fat storage here. hah

It was nice to be able to report a decent loss (better than average for me). I know I lost fat, and I've lost inches, but the hormonal wackiness probably explained the bump up of a pound early in the week, along with the grumpiness (as I commented on Karen's blog). And so the sudden drop is fat AND bloat, and that's fine. Lowest number in ages.

I think the last time I weighed this was 17 or 18 years ago. I do remember being in the 190s in 1991, so when I break 200, I will have time traveled to the past, weight-wise, 20 years.

Yesterday's walk felt good. Felt powerful. I like being able to keep up a brisk pace without wanting to faint. I feel the weather changes. Some nights still sustain a bit of coolness. Some are getting muggy and warm. I hate summer. I hate the hotter,stormier days. I hate mosquitoes and buggies. And I have to figure out what to do to keep moving when the heat gets to me.

Until then, I am grateful for the still pleasant breezes in my evening walk time.

Off to start the hydrating for the day....glug, glug...

Enjoy your leisure time and your loved ones this weekend. Have fun. Be well...


Updated: Had a good walk with hubby. He took some pics. I updated my "progress pic" since I'm 6 lbs lighter..heh:

Walking and Happy at 212 lbs

Hubby says, when he was walking behind me at one point when the sidewalk narrowed due to a big tree, "Look at that hourglass!" heh. hehheh.